Painting machine



April 1o, 1945.

H. V'. SCHWEITZER PAINTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 7, 1939 ATTORNEYS April 1o, 1945. H. v. SCHWEWZER $3,604

PAINITING MACHINE Filed Sept. 7, ]939 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 /a- 3" /a/ /00 a; 35

.9/ nl /l lii FY;-

ign-111ML ATTORNEYS April 10, "1945. H. V. scHwl-:lTzER 2,373,604

- PAINTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 7*, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR aorf/ 5. n Baar/l 30071/ Hows/vb V. Sc//ws/-rzsk AURNEYS Patented 10, 1945 "STATES QFFliCEg -BAINTING MACHINE 'Howard-1v. sehweitzer; cievelandgonie, Anplicationfsentember 7, 1939, Seril'o y29.3;7921 (Gis1-4 5) W v weleens.

' This: invention; relates to; painting; machines andi more-eparticularlyr toga xmaehinefadapted: to paintfautomobileawhee1s;,on the'glikegr. witlnenamel or:'oth'erfcoatingfmaterial;Y f

Here'tofre automobile-Wheels have abeenzpaintfs ed#v by: skilled?" spray: `gun operat'oi'siy W-ho ,Y Worked within conventionalspray bootlisi: Suchu paintiing-C opera-tionsX are expensive` because theire yare lianclfopere/tio'ns;v and; becauseonsiderable quantities' off pain-t are-Wastedinevitably by the` oper ators: 'Furtherf the paintlspraywwl'iichis noi-napplledto the wheels-tends'tosettleluponfeverything nearthespray' guns= and constitutesl a serious operatingnndmaintenancef-problem; 'Iliisopere ating' maintenance problem is; especiaily serious-wlien enamels are usedi vsince-the resin irr the-- Wasteenamel spray i tends toA dep ositvon'f all surfaces nearohe sprayg1'1ns; forming small stalactitesorrstaagmites Whici are' dicult to remove:I Alsoybecause' the*spraygun` operators work# in" an atmospherer ledenw with spray; i the Working; conditions are apt Yto; be: deleterious# to the operators health.

It is a principal objectmofftliisninvention t'o-pro'h vide'a machine Which-maints automobile wheels and the 1ike,.and which.substantiallyY eliminates the hand; operations;employedA heretofore, there: by, great1y-reducing the expensel ofepainting` au;-

tomobilewheels., Itis another objectioithisin'.- y.

vennen-.to provide a machine. Whichesubst'anf 'f tiallweliminatesithe Wastemipaint-spray by anp lying, almosteall. oi. the; p .aint employedxqdirectly totheeobjects tube-painted. y r i Aeiurtherl objectoftthisdnvention isfztofprovfide asmach-ine Whicheliminates the productionfand maintenanceiprohlem Aincurred in. the, depostfof Waste-l spray;v by.- reooveringdsubstantially a-ll of thefpaint: or.' enamelf spray; which: isA notl applied toxtheeobjects toibeepainted. A stillffurther ob;- iect of thisfinventioniis: to provide; a..machine lin Whichthe operators, Work-1 in .annuncontaminated atmosphere, therebtyproviding healthful-.Working conditions and increasing theyefoeney: Ofi the onerators.- i n i y.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will be: manestimthee following speeicati-eng c 1aims;, and: drawingsi'; in'. which: Y

ivezmecliii vaivesr:

. Fig:A 6,isz ae diagrammatic oiir'sheetr showing theewashzwater, andaexhaustr air circulatngisys? temshande v n Egi'iisa .diagmmmaticiovwsheet show-ing .the owand oontrokoftthe spray; gun fcontreliairi Im theidrawings-Lin; which: like; referenceechan- :meterserefer to likes. pantsh f I 0 renresents;y af suitf ablefstructural:` steel; framework. which supnorts' ther. mahinei, pair:` ofiY channel-1l beamsm and 12a-,carrie aipair of.thrustIcxearinsss lai-andi- Me re;- sneetivelm. in which; is.` j ournaledr a; mainivertical i shaft:v` li'uy Mounteriuponrandgfixed.tazthe shaft i5 is the hub 2.i;,of.fthe;f maimsDi-ndleturrettw,

having; Suitable trussfshaped, spokes;v Z2 which supponttthe rim. Ae conicalr, cover sheetv'zlt, having: ai; dependineseaxiei 25,.. extends oyei: the

Y spokesrz 2i and; the; 23s to lproyidef ai suitable surfaceifnn theiturretiz; f

The.. turnet; 211; isadriven: by; aimntan athrnueh invariable,l speedzrertueersh. Mounted onrtlie v tnrret; drivee shaftz 3.121 of the. sneedereducerfal is .ringe` beingraaa whole; number.. Az.;suitablev .talee-up forfthee chainza-:iszprovded by:thefidlerrsprooket i 36;. Theimoton 3D.: variable speedzreducerzliand idler sprocket lafiare preferablyrmnuntedupon theJ framework: ling and the sprocket; ring; ,351* is suitablyf supported?. onethei under: surface lofi the kturret 211:,

The; rimz carries ai. plurality. of'. vertical spindlescsuitably spacedzaboutzthe periphery of tliei-turretiz; theisnumber ofispindlesaliilsbeing equal `to;.in the =preferred 'embodiments disclosed, orsamultiplea on aliquotxfraction of; in modi'ed formszof thisnvention', theawholeinumber which is@ the ratio. between. thel sproeketfppinioni'S rand sproeket-ri'ng 34; y Each'. spindle,v 40? isxcomprised otra sleevlldi whichyisixedtthezrim: landpin which is journaled a spindle shaft..4i2.; Ai sleeve cap143i. Xed; to'ithe spindle.. shaft, 42 covers the portion ofthecsle'eve 4l: whichxtends abovevfthe surface. offr the turret; 2i): Removably;v` mounted on'`r the-f upperv endy of theaspindle= shaft ft2?v is: a Wheel; chuck; 414i comprised. of` a shaitf sleeve 45 Whicha engages the;l shaft: d'2 andY which carries; a i

conical center 4'6. andzdng. adapted: to, `engage the hub: ofia;.wheek:.p1acedr.upon the;y chuck., A

vif-belt; pulley. 413i is "xerii oni the lewen end. o-i: the spindle shaftdr, i

Each of the-:spindles .iliisnrivemdilring amore tion' ofi thea-travel on th'ef turretlg-byfa spindle driver unit 511i comprisingfatk motor: and; variable speedfreduoer; .whichimay beicarried .by the f-rame im; zflat pulleyr'l: mounted; o n thef drivefshaft of tiievariablef sneed reducer of?. the driveunit 5.0, engagesfthe; flat,v back: of thef V-ioeltA 5in,A which is; also.. supported?. :bigfthez' main;4 adjustable-idler 531' and fthe .vfixezdf idlerstSA mounte-omthei-rame I8. As the turret 20 is rotated, the V-belt pulleys d8 of the spindles 40 engage the V surface of the V-belt 52, which, being under tension and tending to assume the position of a chord between the drive pulley 5| and the idler 53, drive the spindles at a speed which is the sum of the peripheral speed of the turret 20 and the lineal speed of the belt 52. The spindles 0 may *bei driven similarly during another portion of the travel of the turret 20 by a second -drive unit 60, drive pulley 6|, V- belt 62, adjustable idler 63 and fixed idler 64.

Carriage and carriage drive Located on the frame I beyond the periphery riage 80 carries a spray gun post 82 on which are mounted paint spray guns 84 and 85.

The carriages 70 and 80 are oscillated in the tracks and 8|, respectively, by a spider 90, which is rotatably mounted on a suitable bearing 9| located on the main shaft I5 between the channel beams and |2. The spider 90 is comprised essentially of the radial carriage arms 92 and 93 which are connected to the carriages 10 and 80, respectively, a tie rod 94 which connects and spaces the arms 92 and 93, and a cam follower 95 mounted upon the tie rod 94 and arm 92. The angularity of the carriage arms 92 and 93 may obviously be fixed by the tie rod 94 at any suitable angle, which, however, is preferably equal to the angle between radii drawn from the center of shaft l through centers of suitably spaced spindles 40, as is shown in Fig. l.

The spider 90 and the carriages 19 and 80 connected thereto are oscillated about the main shaft l5 by a carriage cam |00 which is keyed on the turret drive shaft 32 and which engages the roller 95 of the cam follower 95. The tension spring 97, connecting the spider 99 to the frame I0, maintains the roller 95 in constant engagement With the cam |00. In order to absorb the shock of the return oscillations of the spider 80 upon the cam |90, an air cylinder and piston shock absorber 98 having an adjustable air release needle valve 99 is provided between the spider 90 and the frame l0.

The cam |00 is provided With a spiral displacement surface lill extending from point a to point b and a quick return surface |02 extending from point-b to point a, as shown in Fig. 5, the displacement angle of the cam being approximately 270 and the return angle being, of course, approximately 90. The spiral displacement surface |0| of the cam is so designed that the rate of displacement of the cam follower 95 is constant, and the lcorresponding speed of oscillation of the spider 90 and carriages |0 and 80 in the direc.- tion of rotation of the turret 29 is equal to the rotational speed of the turret 20. The contour of the quick return surface is not of especial importance since the inertia of the spider 90 and carriages and 80 tend to `cause the roller 95 to jump from the quick return surface; the air release needle valve 99 of the s-hock absorber 98, however, should be so regulated that the return movement of the cam follower substantially ceases at the instant the roller 96 engages the initial point of displacement a of the displacement surface I0|. Thus, the smooth operation of the entire carriage mechanism is assured.

Carriage operation From the foregoing and from Fig. l, which shows the carriages 'l0 and 85) at the midpoint of displacement, it is apparent that at the beginning of thedisplacement, the carriages 70 and 89 are each aligned with a spindle 40 and continue inA alignment with that spindle through the period of displacement of the carriages. The carriages then.quickly return to starting point of their travel where they are again in alignment with the. next succeeding spindles. The substantial synchronization of the paint Spray guns With the peripheral travel of the objects to be painted is essential to the successfuloperation of this invention. This result is obtained in the embodiment disclosed from the fact that the number of spindles 49 carried by the turret 29 is equal to the ratio between the driving sprocket pinion 33 and the driven sprocket ring 34 of the turret drive. Thus, by indexing the cam |00 on the drive shaft 32 so that the carriages are aligned with a spindle at the lbeginning of displacement, with each succeeding revolution of the cam |00,

the carriages move in synchronized displacement 4 with each succeeding spindle. Of course, if the present embodiment is modified so that the number of spindles is an aliquot fraction of the turret drive ratio, synchronization may be obtained by providing a corresponding dwell in the carriage cam, or if the number of spindles is a multiple of the turret drive ratio, synchronization may be obtained by correspondingly multiplying the carriage cam.

Spray guns The spray guns 71|, 75, 76, 17, and 84, 85 carried by the carriages 10 and 80, respectively, are suitably directed toward the spindles with which the carriages are aligned and are supplied with the necessary compressed air from a compressor |.I (not shown except as indicated diagrammatcally in Fig. 7) and paint from tanks (not shown except as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 7). Since the spray guns are responsive to the air supplied thereto, the operation of the spray guns is automatically controlled by the on and off cam |20 which is mounted on the turret drive shaft 32 and which operates the spray guns by engaging the lever arm ||2 of the air valve ||3. As is shown in Fig. 5, the on and-off cam |20 is comprised of an on" segment |2| and an off segment |22, each of which are angularly adjustable with respect to each other and cam |00 about the turret drive shaft 32.

The operation of the paint spray guns and the operating air system, as is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 7, is as follows: Air from the compressor ||0 flows through the line H4 to the spray guns 10, 75, 7B, I7 and 8d, 85 when the valve ||3 is opened by the engagement of the cam |20 with the lever arm H2, so that the spray guns are then operated. When the cam |20 no longer engages the lever arm H2, the operation of the spray guns stops. Air from the compressor ||0 may, of course, be supplied independently to other hand operated guns, as for example, the gun ||5 illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 7, and the operation of the martinm several.r spray.:r giunsei mayj besiurtherf regulated and.; control-ledbyfanyaother: suitablez; valvesV (not the'. guns are. operation. only.; when thencareI riages a'lnand'ili are bei-ng; displacedoin nsynchro@ niSmi/.Withfthe;v turret; 29; Dnc-.1 toethef inertia-ot theicarriages. 1 il? and .i 8 UZ anch spiderrA 95;; the? carl riages .arernotfv .displaced inl synchrohismzwitli the.: turretrZlh untiL ai slightt periodi of timezater, displacementi has; ..commenced:.. 'Tlzherefore-,fl las Shawna in Eiga t 5, tiiei oniL segment; |21; is :ade j ustcdz onz-thershaftncse; thati initiall pointe' of; engagement..- d 'ont the; v segmenti. |2f|i lagsf behindl the initial.E point ofi dis'placement.:af.; one then cam Milli` by." ai suitable period-.1 oftiine,y thezelag angle ther. overowf from. theiv trough@ willi flow; a y

' smeothisheetsoyen thectroughzwall:arrdaaproni I3f2i between the points. as.' and' di being-5 indicated? as the;i angle@ phi; The;- lengrtht ofz timer tliegspray gunsaafre operated; ist.v determineda by.' the angu-I larityioii the on segmenti |2| withiresizfectctov the ;,"oif'i"fsegmentag |22: asa indicatediby theI angle omega.: The; 1ength=-L of; time@ theifzgunss are; in' operation yis primarily; dependentsl uponr` the amounttof paint to:beesprayed;.butrin .,anyifeyent;

iria orderf to 'assurethat :the paintiiss s-prayediupon Adue to Waste spray are.reducech11eme.minimum;L

A j Booths@v n In .erden-y to.;` afford-vproper.` working.; ccnditionsandeHminete; the production-a and maintenance problem causeclqby.Y the deposits ot7 wastegpaint covering;y was,tie-spray3 alli. sprayfff operationsA v conducted lintbooths-wfliiclii inthe;preferred, me bojdiment-of; this` iiiveiaitioigr;y are an integral part ofi themachine; The v spraying.. operations from the; carriage..v l 0 f are. conducted; in booth A, and thesprayingf, operations; froml the.. carriage;2 8,0, are-conducted *,in l the f booth .Cl Another'- booth-BA rr;1 ay= bie provided zto` .permit hand :sprayingn;` opera,y tions;l as. for. example. with y aff, hand..y sprayi- M5;r to .be='condu cted. The :booths A; B, an d.G. may-.be 'disposed about--.the..-turret 2 G `fand.; are supe portedby the frame: ylllwinta: suitable-manner. Agguard.; rail I 2 5! mayv beprovid/ed,f between, thebooths; toY preyent. the operators( fromY coming; in contact with the turret 21|).I

Since: the construction, operation,- and;A oooperation of,I eachr of" .theA boothsf is.- preferably?, similar,vr the following', description. of boothp,4 shoswnfinsectionin Figs. 2and 3;.willv suffice te` describe all f.' thefboothsl The ,boothq isv,lecated aboyefthe;periplflery;v of` the turret, x-,and is pro 'Viddfwthfa ceiling: |30 .and sidewalls I3;I which aregdircctedzinwardly towardrthe center offthe machine; and-.which have suitablev-` openings. to

vpermitrg'the entrance .f andi exitl of.4 thesp'irilles dii and.; the, Wheels; carried; thereby. The; fron-taci. thezboothfis, of course; openi, The-rear.: wall-df. theelrzootirI isfan apron; l 32 .fof suitably Contoured' sheetfmetal -whichextendsgbetween theside walls.- `.and Slopes downwardlyvffrOm-.fainositionanearf Ao floor. trough I radaptedr. to ireceiyeil the'waten which?v fiolws4 over the. coverl sheet;v 24v and.; cave 25 of the turret 2|) is locatedf at: thesfronti: ofy the booth, thegeave.. 25. overhang-ing the inner edge |38 of the trough I 3'TI A drain I39` (not .slfio'wngI excelzvtr aslindicatedf' dia'grammaticallyin Figaz 6)L is'conne'ctedito` the upperrpertion ofthe' troughi |31 so'v` that thel troughis# normally.; full ofwater.'4

AlloftheboothsA; Bi andi@ are connected toXT a- Wa'sl'i7 tower# |40-in1which arel located` suitable#baleunitsE |41v andF I 42 between whicharey located waterf'spraysfA I 43?V Accesscto; theinterioroiA the tower` |40 lmayebe" had-` throughthedoor I44 Below--thewbaflieunit I 42- and-1 overhanging the outlets o f' theiseveralfbooths; is'an'eaye' |45? A1 catch basin I 46" islocated below` the cave" I 45 and?` the bo'ctliioutlts, fromlv whiclfr:Water"iserei movedfbymdrain' |455 Air-is exhaustedL from the" tower I 4"ll'tlirouglr1'y an exlfiaus't*v outlet |49; l'ocated"A above-jthe;b'aiiiegunitA |'4I by a' suitable exhaust farrg|49` (not shown exceptasiindicated diagrammaticallyin: Fig; 6).

i Boofhwnerctz'om Erom the-#foregoingj and from ther` oWsheetl illustrated inF-igf; 6'; itfisfapparent-thatthe'opf eratioi'i` of thewasher towerf'and booths and the the .ceilnei- |36; where an;l outlet.4 Qn'theibeoth washwater and 'exhaustfair systemsdsfas follows-z Clean wash Water-from thef-pump1|50 isf'supplied through the line= |36'E t'o the trough I 35,- from which the waterl overfl'owsff-in1 afsmooth; unbroken sheet; acting-fas=a=liquid conveyor |5I lwhichexter1ds-oVenthe-lapron` |32"y coversheet 2.4, and cave 25 into thew troughy I3'I which normally` presents an entire1-y1liquid`-` surface that is substantially ar continuation of the Aliquidl conveyor I5"IL Water `from the trough' l'l'fis returnedito the'sump |52 through the drain I 39. The sump baiiles'-v |53i separa-te the resin" or'similar paint residuefiorm the drained'- uid conveyor- Water andthe clean waterisf-returnedto thepumpi |50; Wash' Waterffisalso suppliedK by' the1 pump` I5I|v to the-spraysby thelinev |542 The' baiiefunit' |42 distributes the spray water-within the tower |40.I The sp1'ay-=water'-in-= the centerl ofv the tower falls directly intolthe catchl basin- |46; but the spray- Waterfnear the walls'oftheltower collects on the cave'. `I 45?,E .thcrebyfformingsa'-l thin curtain of water l55`1whichA .covers the: outlets.v of the.:v several booths andifallss` int'othebasinA |462 Viaterr-fronrv the basin |46 returns. through the .drain |41?. tof the sump.:` I 52 l,Where tlielbaztlles-V 53'lseparatevthe tfresin from the; washwater: The.. exhaustair: enters through" the .fronti ofcthefboothi Wheretit; picks iup all of:- the Wasted; paint; spray.v AJ. substantial portionoffthe waste paintzsettlesiout ofgthe exhause; air; upon@A thefvzliquidconyeyor I 5 I l ors-is. re.-` moyed fromfthezairfasiit comes;irncontact;y With the conveyor |5I. Almost alli;ofz-thesremainder4 off the paintiissnemovedzfromthegairf-asaitnpasses through the water curtain |55 in moving `from the booths into the tower |40. By the time the air has moved upwardly through the water spray and baiile unit |42 in the tower, the paint is substantially removed; the baffle unit |4| serves merely as a means for removing the entrained water from the exhaust'air, which is then exhausted from the tower by the exhaust fan |49 through the outlet |48. Since substantially the only surfaces upon which the waste paint can be deposited are the iluid conveyor |5| or surface washed by the spray water, the problem of deposited waste paint spray is eliminated, Furthermore, since substantially all the waste paint is recovered as residue in the sump, which residue may be reworked, a, substantial paint economy is afforded by this invention.

Summary of operation Since the operation of the principal elements of this invention have been described in the foregoing description of the construction of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the general operations of this machine may be described briefly as follows: Since the turret 20 is shown as being rotated in a coimter-clockwise direction by the turret drive, the loading station for the machine is located adjacent and to the left of booth A, where an operator places wheels to be painted upon the spindle chucks 44.

As the wheel is carried into the booth A, the spindle pulley 48 engages the moving V-belt 52, thereby rotating the spindle 40, the speed of rotation of the spindle 4D being entirely independent of the rotational speed of the turret, since the speed and direction of the V-belt may be varied at will. As the spindle moves through the boo-th, the carriage 1D, driven by the carriage cam |90 through the spider 90, is aligned with the spindle and is displaced from its initial position in synchronism with the rotation of the turret. When the movement of the carriage is completely synchronized with the movement of the turret, the spray guns are operated by the on and ofi cam |23. Each of the spray guns is accurately directed toward a particular surface of the wheel to be painted, so that a. minimum of paint is wasted and whatever paint that may not be applied to the wheel is recovered by thel fluid conf veyor |5| and the water spray and curtain |55 in the tower |40. In the machine described herein, the guns 14 and 'l5 apply paint to the rim of the wheel, and the guns 16 and 'Il apply paint to the under surface of the wheel. As the car'- riage 'Hl nears the end of its displacement, the spray guns are cut off and the carriage returns to its initial position `ior the succeeding spindle, the particular spindle in question moving outI of booth A and into booth B. It should be pointed out here that while the movement of the carriage and the operation of the spray guns are accurately synchronized with the movement of the turret, the carriage is driven independently of the turret and the turret is not subjected to accelerating and decelerating loads caused by the oscillations of the carriage.

If the outside of the wheel is to be painted in two colors, one color is preferably applied by a hand operated spray gun in booth B, where a mask may then be dropped over the portion of the wheel painted by the hand operated gun. Such a mask may barely clear the surface of the wheel, so that the freshly painted surface is not marred by the mask.

From booth B the spindle is'carried to booth C, where the automatic operation of the spindles, carriage 80 and spray guns 84 and 85 duplicate the automatic operations in .booth A, except that the guns 84 and 85 are directed toward the upper or outside surface of the wheel. The direction of the spray from the guns may be maintained so accurately that the line between the masked and unmasked colors is extremely sharp.

After leaving booth C, the spindle passes to the unloading station, where the painted Wheel is removed from the machine. The loading and unloading stations are preferably located adja cent each other so that if the turret is rotated slowly, i. e., about half-speed, by properly setting the speed reducer 3|, the machine may be loaded and unloaded by one operator. Of course, if the turret is run at full speed, two operators must be employed to load and unload.

While this description has been of the preferred embodiment of this invention, this invention is not limited to the embodiment described, but may obviously be modified in many respects. For example, in addition to the several modifi-cations pointed out already, the location of the spray guns and the booths with respect to the center of the machine might readily be reversed, and the turret 20 need not be a table mounted upon a central shaft; a ring type turret mounted upon a track and driven by a pinion might well be employed. Further, the particular arrangement of the booths ls not essential and the arrangement of the baffles and sprays in the Washer tower may be modied. This invention, therefore, is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, either wholly or in part, but is limited only by. the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of article supporting means, an endless conveying means for said article supporting means, a carriage movable in synchronism vwith said conveyor, coating means carried by said carriage, means for operating said coating means during the synchronous movement of said carriage with said conveyor, a booth having an entrance and outlet substantially enclosing said carriage a nd coating means, a contoured end wall in said booth, means providing a liquid conveyor moving over said end Wall and said conveyor, a spray chamber connected to the exit of said booth,

means within said spray chamber for forming a curtain of wash water across said both exit, and means causing a current of air to pass through said booth and spray chamber, whereby substantially all of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means is recovered by said liquid conveyor and wash Water.

2. `In a machine of the class described, a plurality of article supporting means, an endless conveying means tor said article supporting means, a carriage movable in synchronism with said conveyor, coating means carried by said carriage, a booth having an entrance and outlet substantially enclosing said carriage and coating means, means providing a contoured end wall in said booth, a liquid conveyor moving over said end wall, a spray chamber connected to the exit of said booth, means within said spray chamber for forming a curtain of wash water across said booth exit, and means cusing a current of air to pass through said booth and spray chamber, whereby substantially all of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means is recovered by said liquid conveyor and wash water.

3. A machine of the class described comprising iorfsaid-fspray 'guns rand ia valvesoperating :cam mechaisminriven by: said imeans fior iintermiti anearticiemonveyr,'Spraygnnsforisprayingicoatingmaterial onz'articlesscarnedfby sidcconaveyor, av rstfmeansrror rlrix'zing isaid rcurtveypr an'rlspray guns :in alternate :periods r'o'f :vreiative movement and .noliielative movementibetweensaid:cionveyor arrdffsaidcspray zguns, :saidfconveyorsmoving .in a

tent-lyimovingfsaidf'eonveyornnd.sprayogfunsirelatively withirespe'ct to reach fother,` in `Whiclfifthe means'forfdrtvingfsaid 'eonveyorsand'spray .guns comprises aimotona drivefsha'ftidriven byisaid motorJmeans ffor positively'*drivings-ai'df conveyor mounted fon 1sa-id drive aft andfJ'a P'fst .roam mounted gfon fsaid'fdrivetshaft for imoving-isaid 'spray #guns independentlylofssaidf conveyor, and thesprayzgunsoperating means comprises azspray gunifcontrl'fvalve, fa second'f valve cam :mounted on gsaii=`drlve shaftfanda valvef'cam 'fo'llower wh'ih *actuates-said icon-trol l valve, saidfrstfcam ancl1said=second valve;canbeingi1indexed on--fsaiii drive ishait =With l"respect to feach x'other iso that -siifeamffolloweractuates"'saidrcontrl valve-only when sadsconveyor iis snot lmoving frelativly to saidrsprayguns. 1 4 K 4. "In .a machine of the class describednafconveyor, 17a-spray egunfcarriage, fa'f'frame supporting said JYconveyor i and f carriage, -means Jfo1" c'iiiv'ing said rconveyor, vasini-rege `drive member, jcomprising '-'aecam driven by said conveyor ^driving means jandhavingl a l spiral "displacement surface yand fa' return "surfaceisait displacement fsurfa'ce b'in'ggp'sitively .engaged W'ithsaid carriage 'drive .member to periodically .displace :said carriage synhronouslvvvith. said lconveyor. y

l T5. In a machine .of .thetlass described, 1.a. conizeyonarspray guncarriage, ,airamesnnporting said .conveyor and ;carriage, .means rfor driving said ,conveyor, a kearriage '..drive .memben com- .pnisingvvahcamfidriven Kby said ,conveyor .driving means and having a spiraldisplacement.surface` mum :displacement to-its -rposition ofi ainitial-disz. placement, @said means-.operating independently .ofssa-idrreturmsur'faeeion saidroam fi .l

r6.1In `afniachine'iofV the :class described,I anconweyor, zaisprayrgun marriage, @a viframe-zsupporting saidrfeonveyorrand marriage, means for driving carriage :return control means comprises annair piston rand s cylinder i and e an :adjustable 4fair .relief valve ionesaidxcylinder nto control the ireleasenof aincompressedimesaid icylinderhy @said s'piston.

f8. In .zarmachine .of ithe class idescribed, the

f combinationiof Qa :rotating turret, dri-ving means A for; said .turret, articlersupporting Smeansi carried loyisaid :turretf.coatinfg.means, zand; meansindependent fof :said turret for driving ,said coating meansitoao scillateesaid coatin gf: means? around said turret and infsynchronism-withsaiditurret .during one phas'eoffthetoslcillation;otsaidcoating-.means i9. :In sa imachine roi -,tloeic1ass described, the

y combination sofia irotating turret Vdriving;means forfrotatingsaidartieie supporting means'-indeforisaid turretnarticleysupporting means carried bysaidfturrenqcoatingmeans; means independent of "tsar-d Vfturret afor` fdri-ving; said `coating means neto oscillatersaid coating imeans iaround said iturret andn synchronisrny Withzsaidzturrettduring .one

- phase of `therescillatiornofrsai'd:coatingfmeansand meansv rindependent Iof l,said ',.turret for loperating sarda-:coating mean's `awhile :said =.;coating rmeans moveiin:isynchronismwithesaidturret.

.110..3In :fa :machine o'f the 'f class zdescribed, the eoznbinationfof atfrotating turretmeanszforidrivingrsaid turretcomprisingsaxdriving:memberfand pemienti-yy Aof said 'l'turret, coating fmeans, means independentiof :said lturr'et yrior y"clisplacing Csaid coatingfmeans varound f'said *turret'inf'the direction. of frtaltionoii-isaid turretsand in syn'hroriism therewithgsmeans for operating saidrcoating'means while said coating :means Y-is displaced :around and in #synhronism iwithasaitlf'turret, and -means for recovering vvasteA coating material discharged by said coating J means comprising' 4a booth va'djacent iti-1e peripheryof `said turret, r-`a floor in sai'd l"booth, `and means providing vrla liquid conveyor "flowing across-i the f 'oor ff'sai'd f booth and the peririhery'ofsaidturret. l

111. iIn 'a Jmachineof -the 'class' described, "the combination-ora 'rot-ating' turret, "meansfor` driving-fsaid turret 'comprising adriving memberand adriven member, `'therratiobetvveen the driving and driven'members Jof s-aid'driving' means tbesaid .conveyon 'fa :carriage fdrive;:1nember, scom- Lprising ua :cam "liriven 'by' said conveyor idriving vmeansrand.: having la .spiralr displacement surface Yand aairetmnfsurface, -rsaidr displacement zsurface being positiveiyfengaged :with said carriageifdrive mem-benitoperiodically'displaeesaid"carriage synehronouslyWvithfsaidrconveyor,'meansifor returning; Said-carriage "from l its-positionj ormaximurn A displacement to f its position. `"of initial 'displacement, fsaid Al'rreans, "operating independently of saidrreturnrsurface :on.sai'd-cam, and'nie'ans 'for porting'meanssmountedfonf'said-turret, the number of saidarticle supporting means'beingian aliquot proportion "f said 'ratio uof said `V-driving means,-ineans'-for rotatingsaidiarticle slLDDOrting means independently of :said turret, coating means, "means "independent Mof lsaid turret for displacing said "coating :means .around Jsaid "turret inthe direction'of'rotationof said'turret and in "synchronism "the'rewith, t' and imeans for vrecovering .Waste :coating material 'dschargediby said'coating `means comprising a'booth adjacent thejperiphery o'fisaid turret, a floor in saidl booth, andmeansproviding ajliquid conveyor owng of 'said turret.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a rotating turret, means for driving said turret comprising a driving member and a driven member, the ratio between the driving and driven' members of said driving means being a whole number, a plurality of article supporting means mounted on said turret, the number of said article supporting means being an aliquot proportion of said ratio of said driving means, means for rotating said article supporting means, coating means, means independent of said turret for displacing said coating means in the direction of rotation of said turret and in synchronism therewith, and means for recovering waste coating material discharged by said coating means comprising a booth adjacent the periphery of said turret, a floor in said booth, and means providing a liquid conveyor flowing across the floor of said booth and the periphery of said turret.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a rotating turret, driving means for said turret, article supporting means carried by said turret, coating means, means to oscillate said coating means around said turret and moving during one phase of oscillation in synchronism with said turret, and means for operating said coating means while said coating means move in synchronism with said turret, a booth within which said coating means are operated, said booth being located adjacent the periphery of said turret and means providing a liquid conveyor which moves from within said booth and over a portion of said turret on which said article supporting means are carried to recover wasted coating material discharged by said coating means.

14. In a machine of the class described, a booth, an article conveying means movable through said booth, a coating means operating within said booth, means to move said coating meansin the direction of travel of said conveying means -through said booth and in synchronism with said article conveying means, and means providing a liquid conveyor which moves from Within said booth and over said article conveying means to recover a portion of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means.

15. In a machine of the class described, a booth having an exhaust outlet, an article conveying means movable through said booth, a coating means operating within said booth, means to move said coating means in the direction of travel and in synchronism with said article conveying means, means providing a liquid conveyor which moves within said booth and over said article conveying means to recover a portion of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means, and a spray chamber to recover substantially the remainder of the coating material not recovered by said liquid conveyor, said spray.

chamber being connected tot he exhaust outlet of said booth.

16. In a machine of the class described, a booth having an exhaust outlet, an article conveying means movable through said booth, a coating means operating within said booth, means to move said coating means in the direction of travel and in synchronism with said article conveying means, means providing a liquid conveyor moving within said booth and over said article conveying means to recover -a portion -of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means, and a spray chamber to recover substantially the remainder of the coating material not recovered by said liquid conveyor, said spray chamber being connected to the exhaust outlet of said booth and including means for spraying a 'washing medium and means for collecting a portion of said medium to form a washing curtain across the exhaust outlet of said booth.

17. In a machine of the class described, a booth having an exhaust outlet, an article conveying means movable through said booth, a coating means operating within said booth, means providing a liquid conveyor which moves within said booth and over said article conveying means to recover a portion of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means, and a spray chamber to recover substantially the remainder of the coating material not recovered by. said liquid conveyor, said spray chamber being connected to the exhaust outlet of said booth.

18. In a machine of the class described, a booth having an exhaust outlet, an article conveying means movable through said booth, a coating means operating within said booth, means providing a liquid conveyor moving within said booth and over said article conveying means to recover a portion of the waste coating material discharged by said coating means, and a sprat7 chamber to recover substantially the remainder of the coating. materialnot recovered by said liquid conveyor, said spray chamber being connected to the exhaust outlet of said booth and including means for spraying a washing medium and means for collecting a portion of said medium to form a washing curtain across the exhaust outlet of said booth.

19. In a machine of the class described in which conveyed articles are coated with spray guns, the subcombination comprising a spray booth having an opening in front and an exhaust opening 1ocated rearwardly of the front opening, a floor in said booth sloping downwardly and forwardly toward the opening, an article conveying means movable across the opening in said booth beneath the forward edge of said iioor, a collecting trough beneath said conveyor, and means to discharge liquid in a sheet on said iioor, thereby providing a liquid conveyor washing over said iioor and conveyor and into said trough to convey into said collecting trough waste coating material which, but for the conveyor, would be discharged onto said floor and conveyor.

20. In a machine of the class described in which conveyed articles are coated with spray guns, a spray booth having an opening in iront and an exhaust opening located rearwardly of the front opening, a iioor in said booth sloping downwardly from a location adjacent the exhaust opening toward the front opening, a turret conveyor, article supporting means carried by said turret adjacent its periphery, a cover sheet having a conical contour and covering the peripheral margin of said turret, said article supporting means extending upwardly through said cover sheet, said floor and cover sheet being located with respect to each other so that said cover sheet extends under the forward edge of said floor, a collecting trough under said cover sheet, and means adjacent the exhaust opening to flow liquid in a'sheet on said iloor, whereby a liquid conveyor is provided to wash over said oor and cover sheet into said trough to convey waste coating material which would, in the absence of said liquid conveyor, be discharged upon said floor.

HOWARD V. SCHWEITZER. 

